Stunning vintage pictures of Thailand before it was discovered by tourists

This klong in the central plain of Thailand looked a bit different in the 1890s.
Courtesy 25 Blythe Road/Shutterstock

The INSIDER Summary:

• Photos of Thailand in the 1890s show what the country looked like before it became a tourist hub.
• The architecture of the king's palace remains the same, but surrounding buildings have changed completely.• The album probably belonged to a member of the Royal Engineers.

In 2014, tourism accounted for 19.3% of Thailand's GDP. But in the 1890s, during the reign of King Chulalongkorn, of "The King and I" fame, tourists were about as scarce as skyscrapers.

25 Blythe Road, an antiques auctioneer in London, auctioned off a collection of photographs that show what Thailand looked like before it became the popular tourist destination it is today.

The album, which likely belonged to a member of the Royal Engineers, shows landmarks like the Grand Palace with not a selfie stick or fanny pack in sight.